How to be more personable

Jun 30, 2022

Smiling salesman

Let’s be honest, the main goal of any professional working in the automotive industry is to make a sale – whether that’s selling a car, or selling a service. And ultimately, one of the most effective ways to complete a sale is to ensure the shopper likes you. There’s simply no denying it, if a customer likes you then you’re already in the driving seat when it comes to making that all-important sale, as well as promising customer retention. This means, as a customer-facing professional working within the automotive industry, it’s not just about selling the product, you’ve got to focus on selling yourself too. 

And how do you guarantee customers like you? How do you sell yourself to the customer? A good first step is making sure you’re more personable. In short, personable refers to someone being ‘pleasant’, ‘friendly’, and ‘easy-to-talk-to’ – for us, three essential personality trait requirements for anyone who will be interacting with customers. 

And remember, ensuring you and your team are more personable has plenty of benefits for your business too, including:

  • More sales, which means more profit for your dealership
  • More likely that a customer will return for future business
  • Improves brand reputation, and will encourage shopper recommendations
  • More positive customer testimonials

So, just how can you be more personable? Here, we’ve put together our top 10 tips for becoming a more personable person. 

Enthusiasm

The average vehicle in America costs around $47,000, which is a lot of money for a buyer to part with, right? This is why it’s so important a car salesperson is enthusiastic. Whether a customer physically walks into your dealership or is communicating with your team digitally, for example via SnapCell Live, it’s vital that the salesperson oozes enthusiasm. 

After all, a customer’s attitude is likely to reflect that of the salesperson, which means that if your employee is enthusiastic about the car buying process, then the chances are, the customer will be too. And who doesn’t love an enthusiastic customer?

Put on a happy face

Along with being enthusiastic, make sure you put on a happy face. Pay close attention to the way you look and sound, especially during that initial interaction – after all, a first impression can ultimately be vital to completing the sale. 

It goes without saying that positivity can make you more a personable person. Plus, research shows that a smile – even if you fake it – can actually make you a happier and more positive person. Yes really, even if you’re ‘putting on a smile’, you can actually trick your mind into thinking you’re happy. 

Listen and learn

Practice active listening. As a professional in the automotive industry, it’s your job to learn about the customer. After all, they’ve not reached out to your dealership to hear about you and what you’re interested in. They’ve engaged with your dealership to either buy a vehicle or to access a service. It’s your job, as a staff member, to get to know them – and what’s more, provide them with a solution, whether that be a car to buy or a service they need. 

So, while it might be tempting to talk over them or ‘at them’, be mindful to take a step back and listen to what they need and want. And don’t just take our word for it – research has revealed that ‘listening to a customer’ is the most effective way to create a positive selling experience, ensuring that you’re listening is a no-brainer. 

And remember, asking questions will not only help you appear as if you’re showing an interest in their lives – something that will ensure the customer feels respected – but it will help you learn about their requirements too, so you can create a relevant buying journey for them.

A top tip from us is to ask open-ended questions, rather than those that can be answered by simply yes or no. Open-ended questions get the conversation going and will achieve a comfortable flow between you and the customer.

Be attentive, be present

As a salesperson, or somebody dealing with customers in the automotive industry, attention to detail is vital. There’s absolutely no point in ‘pretending’ to take an interest in a shopper’s life, needs, and requirements if you’re not actually taking it in. Be attentive and be present in the conversation, remember what the shopper wants. After all, whether it’s in our personal lives, professionally, or when we’re out shopping, there’s nothing more frustrating and more unlikeable than when somebody isn’t really listening to you.

Being attentive to the conversation will prove particularly useful when you send follow-up emails or messages to the customer. If you create a customized video using SnapCell and include relevant information the customer mentioned, then you’ll immediately prove to them that you were listening to what they were saying, which will guarantee to take your sales pitch up a gear. 

Show empathy

One way to become more personable is to connect with a customer – and a sure way to really connect with a buyer is by showing empathy, which in turn will build trust between you and the shopper. Effectively showing empathy is all about proving to the customer that you understand their needs, emotions, experiences, and pain points. What’s more, demonstrating empathy won’t just make you a more personable person, but it will prove to customers that you’re trustworthy and safe, and not just treating them as simply another dollar sign.

Be adaptable

The most successful customer service professionals are able to adapt to each situation. No two shoppers will be the same and it’s important to remember this, which means changing your approach to suit each individual. Become more personable by proving to each customer that you really understand them by altering the language you use and your tone of voice depending on each potential lead. 

Be the expert

In short, you must know your product. A personable professional needs to know what they’re talking about. You need to prove yourselves as industry experts – and better still, confident industry experts too. Be careful, of course, not to be arrogant though, it’s important that you don’t overbear the customer and become unapproachable. 

If you’re in the sales team, reference specific vehicles and highlight different features of a car, which are relevant to the customer’s needs, while discussing how they will benefit the buyer. 

Likewise, if you’re a technician, it’s important that the customer can recognize your skillset, as well as trust your opinion. After all, the customer needs to be safe in the knowledge that their vehicle is getting properly serviced or fixed, and they’re not being ripped off. Learn how to demonstrate your expertise while explaining any repairs in a way customers will understand.

Be honest

While it’s important to be an automotive expert, you should never let this compromise your honesty. Don’t mislead the customer, lie to them, or try and be the expert by pretending you know the answer to their query when you don’t. Honesty goes a long way in car sales – it not only makes you more personable, but approachable and trustworthy too.

Be committed

We all know just how difficult selling a vehicle can be. It doesn’t just happen – after all, we’ve already established how expensive the average vehicle is, so you shouldn’t just expect shoppers to part ways with that amount of cash easily. As a salesperson, you need to commit yourselves to the customer – if you want the sale, then work hard to achieve that goal. You need to build those customer relationships, don’t give up just because the sale isn’t made on day one – instead, engage with potential leads using follow-up emails or SnapCell Messenger. 

And just because the sale is done, doesn’t mean communication with the customer should stop. To retain shoppers and boost customer loyalty, continue to regularly engage with customers, ask for feedback and encourage testimonials from them. All of this will improve customer satisfaction and ultimately help your dealership to achieve solid relationships with shoppers.

Be patient, not pushy

Of course, alongside proving yourself as a committed salesperson, it’s important you don’t come across as too pushy. Patience is key when engaging with customers, however frustrating or challenging the conversation might be. Vehicle shoppers will appreciate your patience – believe us, it will pay off in the long run.

Ultimately, putting a customer under extreme pressure and pushing them into making a decision quickly can have a detrimental effect on both the sale but also the reputation of your dealership. 

The same can be said for being confrontational. Remember, it’s not just about what you can do to be more personable but what you should not do, as well. Avoid over-challenging a customer, or arguing with them – as this will make you less personable and even less approachable. 

Are you ready to become a better salesperson?

Knowing how to be more personable is the first step to being a better salesperson, but having the correct tools on hand will make you the best in the industry. SnapCell is a video creation app, that enables automotive professionals to produce professional-quality, engaging and effective clips at the simple touch of a button. Schedule your free demo of SnapCell now.

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